Baldur’s Gate 3 The Fiend Warlock Build Guide
Jan. 18, 2023Baldur’s Gate 3 The Fiend Warlock Build Guide
Baldur’s Gate 3 The Fiend Warlock Build Guide– In thisBaldur’s Gate 3 The Fiend Warlock Build Guide, I’m going to cover myWarlock Build, and show you what I’ve found to work best. I’ll be doing moreBuild Guidesat the launch ofBaldur’s Gate 3, but for now, let’s look at how you can useThe Fiend Warlockeffectively.
Be sure to check out our other Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds including:The Great Old One,Beast Master Ranger,Hunter Ranger,Circle of the Land Druid,Circle of the Moon Druid,Wild Magic Sorcerer,Wildheart Barbarian,Draconic Sorcerer,Berserker Barbarian,College of Lore Bard,College of Valour Bard,Oath of Devotion Paladin,Oath of the Ancients Paladin,Oathbreaker Paladin!
Right from the get-go, the Warlock will be able to choose a suitableSubclassat Level 1. The Fiend differs fromThe Great Old Onein terms of the types ofSpellsthey tend to cast. For instance, they gain access to mostly offensive ones such asScorching RayandFireball, allowing them to deal massive damage from afar likeSorcerersandWizards. What’s similar between the two, however, is their ability to cast the powerfulCantripknown asEldritch Blaston top of summoning Familiars due to their patrons.
With Eldritch Blast, the Warlock can send their target flying into the air while inflicting considerable damage. With the creatures they conjure, they’re able to win fights faster. In a similar vein, The Fiend Warlock is onlyProficientwithLight Armorso they’re not that resilient. As such, they should be positioned far away from the heat ofCombatto survive longer.
In this section, we’ll take a look at how to set up your Warlock duringCharacter Creationfor the best results.
ForBackground, choosing one that provides you withCharisma Skillsshould be enough since this is your primaryAbilityto hit and damage enemies, alongsideDexterityandIntelligence. Charisma hasDeception,Intimidation,Persuasion, andPerformance. Some Background examples areEntertainer,Sage, andSoldier.
The firstRacethat works well for this Build is theWood Half-Elf. Wood Half-Elves have Darkvision to see and attack better in dark places. They even gainFleet of Footto be able to move more effectively in encounters as well asMask of the Wildto becomeProficientinStealth.
Alternatively, you can pick theDrowwho not only hasSuperior Darkvision, allowing them to see twice as far in the dark as the Wood Half-Elf but alsoDancing Lights. This Cantrip will serve as a light source to benefit allies who need it. As a Drow, you can also wieldRapiersto deal good Physical Damage in the Melee Range.
During Character Creation, you’ll be selecting the Subclass that you’d want to specialize in. For the Warlock, it’ll differ based on their respective Subclass Features as well as some of the Spells available to them. For this Build, you’ll choose The Fiend. As The Fiend, you gain access toDark One’s Blessing, which gives you temporary HP equal to your Charisma Modifier plus your Level when you kill an enemy. So at Level 5, you can expect this to be +9.
For Cantrips, I recommend takingBlade Ward, and especially Eldritch Blast, which is the bread and butter of the Warlock.
Blade Ward grants Physical Damage Resistance fromWeaponattacks, thereby lowering the corresponding damage by half. This is particularly useful for survivability should melee enemies get too close to you.
Eldritch Blast deals 1-10 Force Damage from a distance. And since this is a Cantrip, you can keep casting it every round without worrying about your remaining (and few)Spell Slots.
For Spells, I suggest pickingHexandArms of Hadar.
Hex imposes aDisadvantageon aSaving Throwof your choice. For instance, if you have another Warlock orWyllin the party, and you cast Hex, the other Spellcaster’s chances of landing Tasha’s Hideous Laughter will be much higher since the lower roll will be considered when the affected target makes a Saving Throw. You can also use this Spell to inflict additional Necrotic Damage upon hitting them. One example is casting Eldritch Blast right after Hex in the same turn since the latter is aBonus Actionanyway. Furthermore, if that same target dies, you can use this Spell again without consuming a Spell Slot provided that you maintainConcentrationby successfully makingConstitution Saving Throwswhen attacked.
Arms of Hadar deals decent Necrotic Damage but be careful of casting this Spell when nearby allies are around because they can be harmed. And should they fail theirStrength Saving Throw, they won’t be able to takeReactions.
ForSkillsagain it’s not super important, but you’ll have high Charisma and Dexterity, so selecting Skills that fall under these Abilities is ideal. Dexterity hasAcrobatics,Sleight of Hand, andStealth, and I’ve already listed what Charisma Skills there are. You can also choose Intelligence Skills likeArcana,History,Investigation,Nature, orReligionsince you’ll have a decent score for this Ability.
The primary Abilities that are needed for The Fiend Warlock Build are Charisma, Dexterity, and Constitution. Charisma is necessary to land and effectively harm your foes with Spells while Dexterity is important to increase yourAC, considering that you can only wear Light Armor, in order to survive longer in encounters. Moreover, Constitution increases HP and helps to maintain Concentration. Lastly, there’s Intelligence, although not useful in combat, encompasses a large number of Skills. And if the Warlock is your player character then it’s wise to have a few points here to help with interactions.
At Level 2, you’ll be able to select 2Eldritch Invocationsthat will allow you to further customize your Warlock. Out of the 9 options, I highly recommend takingAgonizing BlastandRepelling Blastas they’ll greatly improve the effectiveness of Eldritch Blast. Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma Modifier to the damage of this Cantrip. This will be +3 Damage until Level 4, at which point it’ll become +4 when you increase Charisma to 18.
Meanwhile, Repelling Blast pushes back the target hit by Eldritch Blast 4.5m away, thereby preventing them from reaching you and your allies.
You also gain 1 Spell Slot. Here, you can choose betweenBurning HandsorHellish Rebuke.
Burning Hands is only available to The Fiend Subclass. This lets you deal massive Fire Damage to enemies in front of you. It’s a good Spell to use once they move toward you. Burning Hands’ AoE is narrower compared toThunderwaveso you’re less likely to hit allies who are next to your targets.
Hellish Rebuke is a great choice, especially if you’re constantly being targeted in combat. As a Reaction,meaning you can’t initiate this Spell yourself, you end up dealing 2-20 Fire Damage when you receive damage, potentially killing enemies with low to average HP. However, remember that it can’t be triggered more than once in a single turn and when you run out of Spell Slots. Otherwise, you can choose to continue reaping its benefits.
You’ll be able to unlearn and learn old and new Spells, respectively, via the Replacement Spell, similar to theRanger. Unlearning a Spell lets you select what you wish to remove from your list. As a replacement, you’ll get to pick one Spell when you level up. But if you want to keep your current list, you can simply ignore this feature and continue to learn new Spells. In The Fiend Warlock Build Guide, we won’t be unlearning any Spells since the ones we’ve chosen are essential in combat.
At Level 3, you gain access toPact of the Chain, which allows you to summon a Familiar to assist you in combat. So make sure you start casting this outside of combat so it can help you defeat enemies when fighting. For the Warlock, the creature I tend to summon often is theImpbecause they’re unique to theFind Familiar Spelland they have the ability to cover huge distances thanks to fly. Imps can even sting their prey, possibly poisoning them in the process.
You can also pick 1 Spell. Here, I recommend taking Scorching Ray,Shatter, orMisty Step.
Scorching Ray, which is only available to The Fiend, deals 2-12 Fire Damage against multiple enemies or 6-36 damage to the same target. Overall, it’s a lot of damage, making this Spell very versatile and a must-have.
Shatter deals huge Thunder Damage against multiple adjacent enemies. UnlikeCloud of Daggers, it doesn’t require Concentration so you can still maintain the benefits of Hex, for example, while casting this Spell.
Misty Step lets you teleport to a location you can see, allowing you to get to High Ground easily to gain the +2 Attack Roll bonus when using Ranged Attacks like Eldritch Blast. Since this is a Bonus Action, you can also perform anActionduring the same turn. Alternatively, you can opt to get theAmulet of Misty Stepfrom theUnderdarkinstead to be able to gain Misty Step but you’re going to have to wait a while to do so.
Additionally, if you’ve chosen the Drow Race in Character Creation, you’ll receiveDrow Magic: Faerie Fireat this Level. The Spell functions the same way in that you and your allies gainAdvantageon Attack Rolls but instead of consuming a Spell Slot, you’ll only use an Action. Just remember that you’ll need to take aLong Restafterward to recharge it.
Concentration is broken if you cast another Cantrip or Spell that also requires Concentration. You can tell which these are because it will say so on the Spell itself. For example, if you cast Hex, but then you cast Faerie Fire, you would stop “Concentrating” on Hex and begin Concentrating on Faerie Fire.
Moreover, if you take damage while Concentrating on a Spell, you must make a Constitution Saving Throw, and if you fail, then the effect of that Spell ends. Should you succeed in your Saving Throw, you maintain your Concentration and the Spell continues. This is why it’s vital for Warlocks to have average to high Constitution because of the Spells that require this Ability and is wasted if it’s constantly broken.
At Level 4, you’ll gain 2 Ability points to place into Charisma, bringing it to 18 and your corresponding Modifier to +4. This will not only increase the likelihood of landing your attacks but also increase Eldritch Blast’s damage by +1.
You can also pick another Cantrip likeChill TouchorPoison Sprayto deal Necrotic or Poison Damage, respectively, together with any of the Level 2 Spells you didn’t select previously.
At Level 5, you get to choose 1 more Eldritch Invocation, and here I recommend takingOne with Shadows. One with Shadows makes you temporarily Invisible so you gain anAdvantageon your Attack Rolls. Once you perform an attack, cast a Spell, or even walk toward your enemies, you’ll be revealed. So it’s best to use this right before initiating combat.
Additionally, you can select 1 Level 3 Spell. The good ones to consider areCounterspell,Fear, or Fireball. Counterspell is a Reaction that can significantly throw a wretch in your enemy’s plans as long as they’re located within 18m of you. Doing so will let you stop the corresponding Spell’s effects. But remember that since it consumes The Fiend’s Spell Slots, you can only use this at most 2 times before taking a Long Rest.
Second is Fear, which would allow you to scare your enemies. In doing so, they drop their Weapons, regardless of whether or not they’re metal, and they end up running for their lives to stay away from you, making it a win-win condition. And third is the classic Fireball Spell, which encompasses a huge area and deals a whopping 8-48 Fire Damage against multiple targets even against your allies so you’ll need to carefully cast it.
Again, if you’ve selected the Drow, you gain theDarknessSpell. What this does is encase affected targets in the dark to blind them. Just remember that you can’t use your Ranged Attack Spells against those who are trapped in Darkness’ AoE.
At Level 6, The Fiend Warlock gains access to the Dark One’s Own Luck, which makes it so that you have the option to add 1d10 to your Saving Throw Roll before the corresponding effect occurs. Dark One’s Own Luck can only be used again after taking aShortor Long Rest.
Meanwhile, at Level 8, you’ll be able to select a Feat. You can choose to increase your Charisma to 20 or takeModerately Armored. Moderately Armored is good to have because it makes the Warlock proficient in wearingMedium Armorand aShield, thereby improving their overall AC and resilience. Since you’ll don Medium Armor, you can lower Dexterity’s Ability Score from 16 to 14 since only +2 will be accounted for.
At Level 10, The Fiend Warlock learns about Fiendish Resilience, which lets them choose a specific damage type after taking a Short or Long Rest. This will then be used so they can gain resistance to it, thereby lowering the corresponding damage by 50%, unless they choose another type.
At Level 11, the Warlock gains access to Mystic Arcanum, allowing them to choose 1 Level 6 Spell from theWarlock Spell List, which you can check on ourBG3 Wiki. The great thing about this Arcanum Spell is you can cast it without expending a Spell Slot but you’ll need to take a Long Rest before doing this again.
And lastly, at Level 12, you’ll be able to choose your final Feat. You can pick Ability Improvement or Moderately Armored, whichever you didn’t select at Level 8.
The Fiend Warlock will have the sameEquipmentas The Great Old One. This means that Weapons aren’t going to be a priority since you’ll be casting Spells most of the time. But remember to prepare for melee encounters by wieldingThe Watcher’s Guideor dualDaggers. With dual Daggers, you get to inflictMain Hand AttackandOff-hand Attack (Melee)in the same turn.
Additionally, any Ranged Weapon like aShortboworLight Crossbowwould be sufficient. Shortbow hasHamstring Shot, which can potentially reduce the target’s Movement Speed whereas Light Crossbow hasPiercing Shotto inflictGaping Woundsfor extra damage. Either Weapon lets you shoot enemies from a distance as an alternative to your Ranged Spells and Cantrips.
In terms ofArmor, you should wear theSpidersilk Armour, which you get after defeatingMintharain theShattered Sanctum. This, together with your +3 Dexterity Modifier, should give you a total of 15 AC.
ForAccessories, you can equip theHelmet of Gritfrom the Shattered Sanctum andTarnished CharmfromAuntie Ethel. Helmet of Grit is another Light Armor where you receive an extra Bonus Action if your HP dips to 50% or less. On the other hand, Tarnished Charm is useful if you find yourself rolling Death Saving Throws frequently. With itsFey Life Feature, your chances of successfully making this type of roll are going to be higher.
The Fiend Warlock makes use of Hex, Eldritch Blast, and mostly offensive Spells to decimate enemies compared to The Great Old One who can incapacitate targets. To improve the overall damage you deal at earlier levels, remember to cast Hex on the target first before attacking them. Moreover, be sure to position yourself on Higher Ground when casting Ranged Attack Cantrips or Spells, with respect to your targets to raise the chances of hitting them. Doing so with Misty Step orJumpwill make life easier. Additionally, you can keep using Hex without spending a Spell Slot provided that you maintain your Concentration.
Unlike other Spellcasters, Warlocks are at a disadvantage in terms of the total number of Spell Slots they have before taking a rest. However, they’re able to replenish these by simply taking a Short Rest without having to go to Camp. Although taking a Long Rest in Early Access is easy to do given the abundant amount of Camp Supplies, I’m guessing this mechanic will be restricted when the game fully launches.
If you don’t gain Misty Step and you’re having trouble with optimal positioning, then you may want to pick theFly Spellbut note that this requires Concentration. Alternatively, another Spellcaster can use this on you. Afterward, you’ll be able to traverse longer distances using your Movement Speed. For instance, you can approach Fearful targets more easily in order to damage them with your Cantrips or Spells.
Lastly, given that the Warlock is one of the Classes that have high Charisma, it’s a great idea to have them initiate dialogues to convinceNPCsthe way you want without having to use any of your inspiration points or waste other items.
Stay tuned for more Baldur’s Gate 3 content as we update the otherBuilds, and be sure to drop by ourTwitch Channelif you have questions about the game. If you need something specific, check out ourBaldur’s Gate 3 Wikiwhich is being worked on night and day, as well as ourBaldur’s Gate 3 Guides.
Reiku
Writer at Fextralife. I enjoy playing RPGs, narrative-driven games, and platformers. Outside of gaming, I like watching meaningful movies and reading sci-fi and dystopian books.
